Book Review A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms by George RR Martin

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Song of Fire and Ice creator  George RR Martin takes place in the Game of Thrones universe.  The charcters are Dunk and Egg.  Dunk, or Ser Duncan the Tall, is a poor Hedge knight, a knight who must sleep in the hedges for he has no lord.  Dunk, who was a street urchin from the city of Kings Landing, was squired to an older hedge knight, Dunk knows no other life.  Egg is Aegon the grandson of the current king of Westeros. Egg is ten when through events of the first section, becomes Dunk's squire while meeting at an inn o the way to the tourney.
The book is three parts.  How Dunk and Egg met at a tourney.  Dunk and Egg's working for a minor lord in a squabble over a dam during a drought.  Then another tourney where they stumble into men of power and ambition.

Unlike the Song of Fire and Ice, this book seems light hearted.  Dunk and Egg simply are.  Dunk knows only what the "old man" who taught him about knights.  Dunk truly believes in honor.  Although he berates himself as "Dunk the Lunk," Dunk is smart, just not educated and he cannot read.  Dunk is also tall, just under seven feet.  Egg on the other hand, is educated as befits a Dragon Prince.  Egg must hide his identity as a prince, not because he must, but because he has choosen to follow the life.  When he interacts with those that know the truth, he is proud and not afraid.

The book has lavish black and white illustrations which are true to the characters' descriptions.

Blogger challenge day 5

Day 5: Post a picture of your classroom, and describe what you see –and what you don’t see that you’d like to.

I think I have everything where I want it.
The wall where the poster changes

Reactions posters, periodic table, world map and my "smart board."

Some posters from a person who did the elements as a school project.

 My usual view.

 The pathway.  What they are going to do today

My desk. this time it is semi clean.

Books I've offered my students to read.  World War Zl.  Rufus the Lab Rat puppet and a Bear skull I bought from a yard sale years ago.

Other books.  Thanks to Math Curmudgeon for the ideas.

differences

For Christmas I ordered these cool bookmarks.  However, since it started in a foreign country it took time to get here.  These are great.  The finger points to where you are and it adjusting up and down is not difficult. I ordered some for my son and daughter inlaw.  When I opened the box I gave one to my husband.  He got his e reader and put the bookmark on.  "too small"  He was lucky there was nothing heavy by me.

explains why they don't understand

I took by biology tutoring class to the library this week. All our students are required to read AR books. My attitude is you should have that book with you all the time (or something to read). One problem student looked at my recommendation of _Flowers_for_Algernon_ as "that's too much to read".

By tenth grade I read all of Shakespeare's plays on my own and _The_Lord_of_the_Rings_ several times.

(reminds me I need to read LotR again)

Book of the day

Yes I know it is summer. No students to show books to.

If this was not so funny I would be beating the clerk's head against the wall. Our science department was able to get some money. We got together and made a "fun" order. We had our wish lists, compared prices of companies, made suggestions, then wrote out our orders. Here you take this company and make the list I'll order this one. One thing I wanted to do was buy books. Students need more literacy and I want more books for them to read.
I waited a month. No response. Emailed politely the clerk and asked if she knew when the books were due, since I had to read them before the students. I was told the request they were sent back to the principal for "review."

Found the principal. He looked at my order and it had a note from said clerk such as "this was what we talked about". Principal asks "what's this one here, Demon Haunted Word, Sagan."

"guffaw" Oh my lord, the office thinks I'm teaching the kids how to be Devil Worshippers. "Sagan...that's the author, Carl Sagan, scientist."

Remember as much as you like the principal, he's a former football coach. "so its not about demons..." he says.

"no, its about pseudo science...fake science,...astrology, psychics and why we spend so much time on them."

We settle that and I point out the books are not supposed to be taxed.

If I find out that woman was censoring my books, there will be a talk with her, me and the super about job descriptions and duties.

Book of the day

I've been behind on posting this.

Many of my students know I play computer games. Especially Dragon Age. Even once on a slow day showed them a video of my playing it, and used it to explain job opportunites. The company is looking to hire over 100 people, and here look at how many different types of jobs they need, writers, artists, programmers, oh and of course test players...

Dragon Age the Stolen Throne takes place before Dragon Age Origins. One student asked why this and I explain that good authors write a lot of background material to explain why things happen.

Book of the day

Many of my students like the new tv zombie series and Zombieland movie. So I pulled this book out Zombie Survival Guide. I looked out in the class and saw three boys reading it together. One bright student said he read more of that book than any other reading he's done. I promised I would bring the sequel World War Z after break. It is a book allowed for AR points and I would loan it first come first served for the rest of the year.

Book of the day

Defying Gravity the Creative Career of Stephen Schwartz by Carol d Giere

I wonder how people who I admire can create things. Books, movies, musicals. The short answer is there is something about these people that makes them able to do it. No, there is something about these people that they _must_ do it.

I am a Wicked fan. I have seen the show now 5 times' once on Broadway the other times a tour. Last time I got a backstage tour, the result of donating to Broadway Cares. Schwartz wrote that along with Godspell, Baker's Wife and Pippin among others.

He does in the book talk about his inspirations and the struggle of actually getting his project from an idea in his head to something that people can see.

Oh yea if you are a female who ever felt "I can't fit in" go see Wicked.

book of the day

There and Back Again by Sean Astin. Okay its interesting. It focuses most on Sean's acting in Lord of the Rings. The initial chapters on his upbringing in a family of actors, Patty Duke Astin, and John Astin. His starting off in acting such as Rudy, Encino Man.

There's nothing really standing out, but it was a nice read.

Book of the day

My children learned to read partly from Calvin and Hobbes. There was only so much time in the day for us to read, so they taught themselves.
They actually tried the alien robot in a cardboard box in search of cookies. First kid tried it, I gave a cookie. The other two looked at each other with a *ding* look. Later, seemingly two other robots showed up looking for cookies.

Book of the Day

I am very fond of David Weber's Honor series. But like many of those they deal with the upper tier of command. I wanted a ground pounder's book.

I did find the Torin Kerr series by Tanya Huff. Valor's Choice is a blatant rip off of the Battle of Rourke's Drift. Well the author needed a battle for her characters to be involved in and admits it. Kerr is a seargant in the Confederation Marines. Humans are the youngest race in the Confederation and must deal with other races which are interesting and well thought out.

Book of the day tuesday

Today's book Granualle Ireland's Pirate Queen.

Four years ago I discovered the musical Wicked. I convinced my husband to take us to see the tour in St. Louis. The lead actress, Stephanie J. Block, gave a good performance and was kind enough to come outside to talk with the fans even though there was a party for a member of the cast leaving. After leaving the tour she was the lead in a new musical The Pirate Queen. The show bombed, not that it was bad, it had its good points, but partially because the true story was hard to fit into a two and half hours. That and the songwriters poorly portrayed the celtic mindset.

Grania O'Malley was the only legitimate child of the head of Clan O'malley. She commanded a fleet of ships both traders and pirates, Married twice, widowed once then divorced her second husband so she could claim his castle. When her son was taken by the English she sailed to England to lay her case before her enemy Queen Elizabeth I.

book of the day

School was cancelled friday because of power outages, flooding and rain.

Monday's book of the day

Physics of the Impossible by Michio Kaku

When science increases, what was once impossible becomes possible.
An examination in layman's terms of science speculation that _might work or could work or as cool as it is, will never work. Teleportation, Time travel, faster than light travel, and robots are examined.

I looked forward to this after reading his Hyperspace.

Book of the day

My students do not understand reading for pleasure and reading because you want more. Everynow and then I say something off the wall and a student asks "how do you know this?" I read...prodigiously

So now on my dry wipe board is the "Book of the day" some book I like or think is interesting or just randomly grabbed.
Today's book

Swashbuckling A book I bought many years ago when I lived in a larger city about how to do stage combat. I even bought another one after encounting on youtube the New york jedi. I'm even teaching a few students how to do stage fighting. (okay I don't know much but I know more than them and just point the way)